


Distract Me

by TheWriterChick



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Multi, Panic Attack, Sex as a distraction, Trapped In A Closet, it's all typhoidmeri's fault, that darn enabler :p, that did not stop growing, this was a prompt, trigger warning: panic attack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-07
Updated: 2014-03-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 12:52:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1173297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWriterChick/pseuds/TheWriterChick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt from typhoidmeri: "Steve/Darcy/Bucky: locked in."</p><p>Darcy's never done well in enclosed spaces. Steve and Bucky try to calm her in the middle of a lockdown.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This little prompt turned into my first bit of real smut. I apologize if it's somewhat crap-romance-novel ish. Hope you enjoy?
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Darcy does suffer from a panic attack at the start of this. I don't go into too much detail, but I you're easily triggered, I don't recommend reading until about halfway through.

 

Steve/Darcy/Bucky: locked in 

 

 

 

\----------

Darcy didn't do well in enclosed spaces. It started from a bad incident as a kid when she crawled into her family's camper. The lock broke because she was pushing too hard on the door from the inside, and it was hours before her family found her and got her out. Since then she's never done well in small, unlit rooms. She had a nightlight well into her teen years, and then when that became 'inappropriate' for someone her age, she left her bathroom light on when she went to bed. Whenever she had a bad dream about being stuck, her mom would hold her and distract her long enough for her to calm down. 

When she was hired by Jane, she was worried that working in her lab meant being in a tiny room with no windows, but thankfully the lab in New Mexico was all windows and breezy doorways. That hadn't been a problem. 

Even when she began to work for Stark a few months ago, she had been worried about feeling stuck, but the fancy tower had floor-to-ceiling windows all over. She could breathe. There was always an escape route in sight. The first few months went by with very few attacks; but it was hard to get over it when she was by herself. 

Then, one morning, she just  _had_ to walk into the pantry in the communal kitchen to get some pancake mix. She had been digging through the shelves when an alarm sounded, briefly, and the pantry door slammed shut. Something much heavier 'thunked' closed behind it--it had to be some kind of concrete barrier or something. 

Oh, and she just  _had_ to be in there when Steve and Bucky--the resident 'hotties' of the Avengers team, who everyone suspected were a couple--were grabbing some food for their post-morning-sex breakfast. They followed her into the room in search of oatmeal, she made a joke about their messy hair (which led her to believe that they had sex that morning) and that's when the alarm went of.  

But she couldn't focus on that right now, or on how great they looked with mussed up hair, or the butterflies she felt in her stomach every time she saw them, even if they were together, because her limbs felt cold. It felt like there was pressure on her chest and it was hard to breathe. The pantry wasn't exactly a closet, but it was only ten feet by ten feet at the most, and sharing it with two tall, broad super soldiers--

"Whaddya mean 'it's locked'? Use your bionic-man super strength and open the fucking door!" 

James didn't react to her shouting and gave the door handle a solid tug, hard enough that he even grunted, but it didn't budge. "Sorry, doll. It's not moving." He genuinely sounded sorry, and a little bit annoyed, instead of teasing like he usually was did.

"JARVIS," Steve called out, "What's going on?" 

" _Power outtage, Captain. There seems to be a problem with the Tower's arc reactor; Mr. Stark is working to fix the issue._ "

"How the hell are  _you_  still working if there's a power outtage?" James demanded. 

" _I run off my own personal power supply, Mr. Barnes._ "

Steve frowned. At least this explained why the lights went out. But-- "Why are we locked in, then?"

" _Standard protocol in the event of a power failure, Captain--no one is allowed in or out of the tower when the security system isn't functioning._ "

James groaned and kicked the door, although it didn't budge. "This is ridiculous." 

"Calm down," Steve told him, tone as patient as ever. "Tony's probably pissed that his Tower broke--he works faster when his pride's hurt. We'll be out of here in no time." He squinted through the dark the shelves of food and drinks. "At least we won't starve," he joked lamely, but then his eyes fell on the shadow in the corner, sunk against the wall and hunched over. His shoulders sagged. "Darcy?" 

Darcy didn't move. She kept her head in her arms, knees drawn close, and was reminding herself to breathe. She heard it in her mother's voice. In and out, in and out ... 

Both boys rushed over and knelt beside her. "Darce, what is it?" James asked, brushing her hair back from her face, trying in vain to get her to look at him. "Babe, you're spooking us." 

Darcy swallowed hard, her throat dry and tight. She mustered up the energy to reassure them. "... I'm... I don't do well in small spaces..." she muttered. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt embarassed. These guys fight aliens and monsters all day, every day, and she's afraid of the dark. How pathetic. 

What happened next surprised her, though. With very little hesitation, Steve picked her up from the floor and sat down with her in his lap, muttering a small 'c'mere,' which was funny because he had just grabbed her anyway. As soon as she was settled he wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her back flush against his chest. She stiffened at the contact. His other hand rubbed up and down her arm in slow, firm strokes. 

"Mimic my breathing, okay?" he told her. 

It wasn't hard to do; she felt every breath he took. And frankly, she couldn't compute the fact that she was sitting in Steve's lap--or that Bucky had sat in front of them both and was holding her feet in his lap, firm hands massaging her ankles exposed by her shrunken pajama pants--so she did what she was told. The rythmic movement of his hand up her arm gave her something to focus on, too. It was constant--more importantly, it was stable. She matched his breathing, deep and long, over and over again. Steve murmured words of encouragement and James just kept smiling at her whenever she glanced at him.

Everything started to calm down, after a few minutes. Her fingers stopped tingling. Her feet warmed from James's attention to them. The weight on her chest eased up. She closed her eyes.

"... you're good at this," Darcy mumbled. 

Steve smirked. "This is how my mom handled me when I had asthma attacks--it works for a lot of things." 

Darcy almost smiled, almost told him that her mom usually helped her, too, but she didn't have the energy yet. But now it was obvious why this was working better than the last few times she freaked out--she wasn't all on her own. 

And James and Steve were very distracting in their own way. Steve smelt musky--something like pine was there, maybe from his shower last night. His grip was firm but tender; he wasn't going to let her go. James's fingers, both metallic and flesh, rubbed soothing circles into her ankles and pressed hard into the arch of her foot. He was deft with those fingers. He also had ridiculously pouty lips that she hadn't been able to stop staring at for the last few months. Even when it the rumour mill spread around that the boys were seeing each other, she never managed to quell her crush on them. The fact that they were both stand-up guys too didn't help her out at all. They all got along and joked, and watched movies together. It was kind of torturous. 

Finally she put all of her weight against Steve. His arm held her closer. 

It had to have been twenty minutes before anyone spoke up. Steve asked her quietly, "How're you feeling now?" 

Darcy took another deep breath. "Better. Ish. ... better than the last few times. I'll ... I'll be okay. Eventually. Better when we get out of here." 

It didn't have to be said, but no one pointed out that they could be stuck in the pantry for a very long time still. That much was obvious--and that was what Darcy was trying to ignore. No, she'd be out in five minutes. Just five more minutes. 

James looked at her face, her closed eyes and her even breathing, but he still felt the chill on her skin. He cleared his throat and asked, "Do you know what else helps in times like this?" 

Darcy hummed, too focused to speak up. Steve raised a brow at James, who just winked at him before sitting up to his knees. The next thing Darcy knew, his hand was in her hair at the base of her neck, pulling her forward to press his lips, hard and firm, against her mouth. 

It only lasted a few seconds--not long enough for her to even enjoy it--when James pulled back an inch and saw her awe-struck expression. He licked his lips. " _Distraction,_ " he breathed against her mouth.

He pulled her back in for another, and this time Darcy reacted without hesitation. Her fingers carded through his dark hair, tugging him as he licked the seam of her lips. She opened for him with a moan. This was insane. She had daydreamed of making out with James--his pouty lips tasted better than they looked--but for him to initiate it, in a darkened pantry? She had to take advantage of the situation before he came to his senses. 

Much to her shock, instead of protesting, Steve slid the hand around her body up her stomach until he cupped her breast, testing the weight in his hands as he pressed kisses up Darcy's neck. Holy shit, Steve was into it, too. She rolled her hips back, effectively pressing her ass against the half-hard erection in his sweatpants, and was rewarded with a heady groan from him. 

"B-Before we--" Steve started to say before Darcy pressed against him again, cutting him off for a moment as he collected himself, "--... we start anythin'... you should know that Buck and I, we  _were_ gonna ask you. Politely, and everything." 

Darcy pulled her lips back from James's momentarily to look in his eyes. "Ask me what?" 

James's eyes were dark in the dim lighting and his face was flushed, but he looked entirely too happy for this to just be about some pantry sex. "We both kinda like you, Darce." He leaned forward to steal a quick peck. "Have been for a while now." 

Darcy blinked, completely thrown by this, but then Steve's hand slid up her breast and his thumb brushed over her nipple--without her bra, there was only her thin tanktop seperating the touch--and she groaned. Steve's full lips pressed up the column of her neck. 

"Do you want this, Darce?" he asked. "You've gotta tell us." 

Darcy didn't hesitate to pull at James's tank top, yanking it over his head as she spoke. "Yes. Absoluely. A-thousand percent, because I've kind of been drooling over you two for months." 

Steve huffed a laugh against her skin and James smiled wickedly. "Excellent," he muttered before he licked his way back into her mouth, tongue sliding along hers until she was breathless. She scratched her nails across Bucky's stomach before sliding her hand towards his pants, but he grasped her wrist. Darcy frowned. 

"Nuh-uh, doll," he told her with a wink, "this is about distracting you, remember?"

Before she could stop him, his hands were pulling at the waistband of her pajamas. Steve helped him by lifting her enough for James to pull the pants off in one move, and Darcy gasped. Goosebumps crawled up her skin but she still felt hot all over. She laughed weakly. "I don't think this is what most therapists talk about when they suggest distraction techniques." 

James had already began to lay on his stomach when she spoke, so he was in the middle of kissing from her knee up to her thigh when he looked back at her, raising his brow. "They're limited in their creativity." 

Darcy choked a laugh when James hooked his hand around her knee, and brushed his fingers over the sensitive skin behind it. Steve shifted her in his lap and she was finally able to look at him. His eyes were warm and hopeful. "Do you want to stop?" he asked again.

"Christ, no." 

Steve grinned before finally kissing her on the mouth and she really couldn't tell you who tasted better. 

James worked at her with his fingers, marvelling at how wet she was already--"and so early in the morning, babe?"--before letting his mouth fall to he. She groaned and keened and made ridiculous noises. Steve didn't keep to himself, though; he slid his hands up under her shirt, pushing and bunching it up around her shoulders so he could get his hands on her bare breasts. His hands were large and his fingers rolled over her nipples, pinching gently... 

The boys were polar opposites. Bucky below was fire an passion, biting and sucking and was all about making her squirm. Steve was soft and attentive and told her how beautiful she was when she came with a high-pitched moan, and kissed her softly as he worked her through it. That's why they worked. The soft and the fast, the hard and the slow... and she was in the middle, getting the best of both. 

When she was still recovering and Bucky was still stroking her, the lights above them flickered to life. Something slid away from the other side of the door. 

"I think the lockdown's over," Steve suggested. 

"Pity," Darcy mumbled. Steve chuckled and kissed her cheek. They both helped her get to her feet, slid her pants back on, and she took the time to tame their hair back into something normal. There was no way she was letting everyone else know their sex hair was her fault. 

When they exited the room, they found Thor, Natasha and Clint all in the kitchen. They must've been locked in the rooms and were desperate for some human contact after the solitude, so they ran to the common area as soon as they were allowed. 

Clint's eyebrows rose with surprise when the three of them revealed themselves. "You were in the  _pantry_?" he exclaimed. 

Darcy tried to play it off cool and held up the pancake mix. "Happened by fluke." 

"You okay?" Natasha asked her. "You look a little flushed." 

"Oh, totally," Darcy replied with no hesitation. She walked to the stove, back to the frying pan she had left out before the ordeal. "I'm not that great in small spaces, but Steve and Bucky are good company." 

Thor walked past them into the pantry, looking for some food for his first breakfast of the day. And everyone was acting normally until Thor exclaimed, "James, is this your shirt?" 

She didn't have to look to know that Bucky was grinning proudly, or that Steve's ears turned red with embarrassment. She only wondered why she bothered to fix everyone's hair when she didn't even check if everyone was dressed. 

Distraction therapy. Yeesh. 

 


	2. Netflix

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, it grew. As if I don't have other WIPs or anything like that.
> 
> No beta, mistakes are my own. No panic attacks in this one. More fluff, too :) enjoy!

It was late. She had a long day. She should go to bed. 

 

Once the lockdown was over and it was confirmed that everyone was alright, Tony put the call out for the scientists to assemble in the arc reactor room in the basement. There was no reason for the arc reactor to crash--none that Tony could see, because it the arc reactor was his baby and his baby couldn't be sick, it just couldn't--so he needed the best minds in the country to help him. The lab crew spent the rest of the day reviewing video, conducting tests, reading energy output levels... and Darcy had to take notes. All of the notes. And she had to get the scientists food and make them eat because they were too engrossed with their work. And she had to go on coffee runs to keep them awake and alert. And then at quarter to midnight she had to make them go to bed, which was the most trying task of all. Darcy was tired, sore, and utterly exhausted. 

 

She had every reason to go to her room and fall asleep. 

 

Logic and reason were fighting against her wants and needs, though. 

 

After...today... It wouldn't make a difference if she left her bedroom light one while she crawled under the covers. The idea of solitude was not sitting with her very well. Her stomach churned and her limbs felt cold. She was too scared to be alone. 

 

So the smart thing to do wasn't to go knocking on Jane's door, or even on Pepper's door. No, the smart thing to do was to stand outside the door of the possibly-gay lovers who thoroughly fucked and fondled her in the pantry that morning. In her pajamas. 

 

... not the same pajams from that morning. That would be too weird. 

 

Darcy wrinkled her nose and fidgeted, rocking on her heels, as she stared at the smooth wood of Steve Roger's bedroom door. This wasn't fair to him. She had a panic attack. Steve and Bucky happened to be there for it. They helped her calm down. That was all.

 

More importantly ... what if, when they brought up the whole 'we like you' thing, they meant they wanted to have a one-time fling with her and that was all? Really, though--what if this morning was all they were looking for? What if they weren't looking for commitment? (Especially the commitment of someone with a phobia.) If so, she was very embarrassed because she revealed that she'd been 'drooling' over them for the last few months. Ugh. Way to go, Darcy.

 

Steve has always been polite and light-hearted around Darcy, and combined with his 1940s- gentleman ways, Darcy had spent the last six months trying to find something to hate about the guy. It didn't help that her last few boyfriends/flings had been selfish and not very giving to her or her needs. Steve was a knight in shining armor who raised her expectations of how a guy should act. Not to mention, whenever he had his 'captain' face on and spoke in a stern tone, she found herself thoroughly twitterpatted. Steve had no idea how hot or sexy he was and it kept him humble. 

 

Bucky was the same deal but had the guts and cheek to amuse Darcy. Compared to Steve who spent most of his life unnoticed, Bucky had the swagger of a man who was used to getting attention with his good looks and boyish smirk. Thankfully he had the moves and experience to show that he wasn't just a pretty face. Darcy always appreciated his flirting--especially since he was so much more original than any of the guys she knew. He was also fearlessly loyal to Steve and the Avengers and that just warmed her heart. 

 

She first heard the idea of Steve and Bucky being together from Clint. The archer had asked during a casual breakfast with Darcy, Natasha and Bruce, completely from curiosity and nothing more. He presented his findings to the group (Bucky hasn't slept in his own room on Clint's floor of the Tower for more than a week) and Natasha had her own point (the boys had been sporting some hickeys as of late) and Bruce concluded that there was a definite possibility. Darcy only felt a little disappointed but didn't voice her opinion; good for them, having someone. 

 

So was she just something 'fun' or had they meant something more? 

 

Darcy chewed her lip for so long that it felt raw, and that's when she realized she didn't have the nerve to knock on Steve's door to find out. She sighed to herself. 

 

"Forget it," she mumbled, and turned on her heel to go back to the stairs and back to her room, because she had to face it sometime, she'd have to sleep in there again, so may as well get it over with. She only made it to the kitchen when she realized she wanted food. Something to distract her and the discomfort facing her upstairs. Darcy made it to the fridge, opened the door, and looked at the leftovers, deciding what was fair game and what she shouldn't bother touching. Clint had some leftover chow mien that was calling her name--

 

"Darce?" 

 

Shit. He probably heard her with his stupid super-soldier hearing when she spoke earlier. Darcy cursed to herself, gripped the fridge's door handle tightly as she cursed to herself, then forced a smile before turning around to face Steve. 

 

Steve stood shirtless at the edge of the kitchen. He must've come out to investigate the noise. The room was dark and the lights were all turned off, but the lights of New York still came in through the windows and Steve was practically golden in their glow. Darcy did a double-take--the hair on his head was neat and there was a light dusting of hair covering his chest that she'd never noticed before. Damn. Darcy ordered her lady bits to calm down. 

 

"Sorry," she mumbled weakly before holding up a plastic container. "I got hungry and Clint left some chow mien in here earlier." 

 

Steve narrowed his eyes a tad. He didn't believe her and she didn't blame him; she was a shit liar. 

 

Slowly, Darcy put the container back in the fridge and closed the door before staring down at her hands. When she didn't speak up--too struck and nervous to say anything right away-- Steve walked towards her until he stood on the other side of the kitchen island. When he leaned against it, she took the hint that he was trying to meet her gaze and looked up. The way he looked at her was ... concerning, because he didn't look annoyed, but worried. Steve's eyes were wide, open and sincere, and it was concerning because she never thought he'd look at her that way. 

 

Darcy paused, opened her mouth, closed it, and then focused at a spot on the floor, because she couldn't look at him with a straight face when she said, "I-I'm having trouble sleeping." 

 

"You are?" 

 

"Like, real trouble sleeping. This isn't a booty call or anything like that," she babbled a bit, "I'm literally not looking forward to sitting in my dark bedroom by myself right now. That's all." 

 

Steve didn't say anything. 

 

She swallowed hard. "I mean, if you guys wanna, make out or whatever, that's cool, too, but that's not what I was looking for when I came here, just... just... for the record." She finished by biting both her lips together and wishing she never ever came down here holy shit what was wrong with her. Time to leave. Say goodnight and keep climbing the stairs. 

 

She couldn't even muster up a goodbye so Darcy turned on her heel without another word and made her way to the stairs as swiftly as she could. She even made it to the fourth step and was almost proud of herself for her speed. 

 

"Darcy." 

 

She wasn't that fast at all; Steve was right on her heels on the bottom step, hand on the railing. And he was smiling at her. It crept up slowly, first just the corner of his mouth, pulling at his full bottom lip, and then it was full and reached his eyes. It wasn't lustful or dirty, not a smirk like Bucky would wear--it was sincerely happy, and a bit empathetic.

 

Darcy blinked. 

 

Steve didn't say a word. He just held his arms out.

 

It was the invitation she didn't know she was waiting for. She climbed down two steps, now face-to-face with him, and only had to tip forward to wrap her arms around his neck. Steve's arms enveloped her and it was nice to feel someone completely take you into their space. He was firm and warm and secure. That's what a real hug is. Darcy didn't want to move. She took a deep, stuttering breath, surprising herself at the relief she felt. 

 

She wasn't expecting Steve's hands to slide down her waist, slide over her ass or grasp her behind her knees to lift her body up. Darcy made a little noise of surprise as he swept her off her feet (literally) and walked them back to his room, his arms firmly under her thighs and ass to keep her up. She squeezed her legs around his hips to help hold on, and tried to keep her cool, but jesus, he carried her like she was just a bag of feathers, which she most definitely was not. It... was kind of hot. Darcy pressed her hot face into his neck and tried to count to ten. 

 

Her back was to the room when Steve took her inside his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. Darcy expected Steve to set her back to her feet but he continued to carry her all the way to the foot of his bed. He still didn't let her go when he knelt on the mattress; he didn't until he crawled them both up so he could tip her back into the bedding. Darcy giggled as she fell back to the mattress and bounced momentarily, her hair falling out around her, but the laughter died when she saw she James above her. 

 

Of course, she couldn't have known that James was in his room, too. His surprise proved that he hadn't been expecting her at Steve's door, either, but when Steve brought her in and closed the door behind him, James just scooted up the bed to lean against the headboard. Now he was staring down at her and couldn't resist brushing his fingers through her curls as they lay on the blankets beside him. 

 

Now, see, he was wearing the pajamas from this morning. Darcy felt her cheeks flare even more.

 

"Evening, sweetheart," James teased. He wasn't going to make this easy. "What brings you down here?" he asked. 

 

"She's worried about being alone tonight," Steve told him, still on his knees, hovering over Darcy. He surprised her when he dipped down and kissed her quickly, but softly. She sunk into the mattress and sighed momentarily. It was silly how easily his kiss calmed her. Steve pulled back and looked James in the eye. "But she wants you to know that this is not a booty call." 

 

Darcy quickly un-melted from his kiss, covered her face with her hands and groaned with embarrassment. "You two don't believe me, do you." 

 

"No, we believe you," James chuckled, and pulled at the hands her hands. "It's just badly timed, considering the quickie in the pantry this morning." He held one hand and traced his fingers over her wrist, pressing gently at her pulse. He went a step further by pulling her hand closer and kissing her knuckles.

 

Darcy wrinkled her nose and tried to ignore the goosebumps prickling her skin at the sensation. "Don't call it a 'quickie.' I hate calling it a 'quickie.'"

 

"And to be fair, that was a full thirty minutes," Steve pointed out with pride.

 

Darcy hadn't realized it had gone on that long and that surprised her. Then again, that was the whole point, right? If she had been in that pantry by herself for a whole half hour (more than that, considering the calming down beforehand) she would've been a wreck. They completely distracted her, like they promised they would.

 

Darcy reached up to curl her fingers around James' arm, stroking appreciatively. "Thanks. For today."

 

James gave her a positively dirty grin. "Any time, doll."

 

Darcy rolled her eyes. "No--I mean... when I was about to break down. You two didn't hesitate." She had to look away from them both and felt childish as a result. 

 

Steve fell to the mattress on the other side of Darcy, leaning up on one elbow while the other hand traced over Darcy's tank top, his hand warm on her stomach. "You would've done the same for us." 

 

Before Darcy could comment, or ask the burning questions she had minutes before--which were clouded in her head from all of their touches--James cleared his throat and reached towards the night stand. "Now, you can pay us back by being quiet for at least the next seventeen minutes." When he brought his hand back, he was holding a remote.

 

Darcy blinked and finally lifted her head from the pillow. There was a bowl of popcorn on the bed. They were all laying above the covers. And there was a giant TV on the far wall, with a program on pause--

 

"Are you guys watching House of Cards?" 

 

"Shh, it's a great show," Bucky chastised her. 

 

"I'm not knocking it," Darcy responded. "Just didn't expect you to be into it." 

 

"He's addicted," Steve said with a sigh that could only mean he's been dealing with Bucky's obsession for much longer than Darcy could guess. The blonde finally sat up and shifted so he was leaning against the plush headboard again. "We were on mission when season two came out--this is the first chance we've had to catch up."

 

"Will you two be quiet?" Bucky almost snapped. 

 

This was not what she was expecting. When Steve had scooped her up, she was a little worried that she was going to dragged into some awkward conversations, some dirty talk from Bucky--maybe he and Steve were in the middle of something and she had interupted--but there was none of that. There was only comforting touches and a little teasing and acceptance in this moment of domesticity. 

 

Darcy wasn't sure what to do with herself. 

 

Bucky got the episode to start playing again and met her gaze. He smiled and winked before lifting his arm. 

 

Darcy rolled over and rested her head on his stomach, arm slung over his lap. Bucky lowered his arm to wrap around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. Steve helped himself to pulling her legs up and resting her calves over his lap. She giggled--her own fault for being ticklish--and Steve gave her ankle a squeeze. 

 

A few minutes later, she was out like a light.


	3. Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was already written but while I was editing, my iTunes shuffled onto 'Never Gonna Leave This Bed' by Maroon5 and frankly, the songs suits the story perfectly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little prompt has gotten completely out of control. I blame typhoidmeri, but I also thank her for holding my hand this whole way through. Pretty proud of the end result; this will probably be updated again, can't deny that. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting on the first two chapters--this is definitely more on the fluffy side of an erotic fic. The last chapter may not have been too hot, but Darcy was looking for another distraction and the boys provided, right? That's the theme I'm going to carry throughout all this. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it :) cheers!

Everything was dark. And warm.

Darcy slowly began to wake up. Her first thought was, _that was the best sleep I've had in months_. She felt rested and revived and just wanted to stretch out like a cat, starfish on the bed, and not get up for another four hours. But then her next thought was that she wasn't in her bed--she was in Steve's. And she wasn't alone in the bed. She couldn't stretch out if she wanted to

Steve and James had effectively sandwiched Darcy between them, not an inch given for space, and were sleeping soundly. Steve had her head tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her close. With every breath he took, his chest rose and pressed against her cheek. And the length of James' body was against her back, his knees bent behind hers, face resting against her neck. She could feel the heat of his lips hovering over her skin. 

Darcy blinked in the darkness, letting her eyes adjust to the room and the proximity of the boys. It was a bit intimidating to be held so closely. She tried to turn her head to get a look at James but  that small movement didn't go over well. Unconsciously, the boys both tightened their holds for a moment, squeezing her closer or taking a deeper breath.

They didn't want her to move--didn't want her to leave. 

Darcy chewed her bottom lip as the warmth of sleep started to drift off to awkwardness. This was so intimate, much more so than any other of her experiences. Time spent in bed with her previous boyfriends consisted of rapid sexing with little foreplay before he would roll off her and start to snore. Darcy could count the times she's cuddled in her lifetime on one hand. She wasn't sure how to handle this.

Then again, that was the best sleep she's had in months.... and she had fallen asleep fast. Record timing. She laid out and was out like a light, before she could have a proper talk with them all, before she could get to the bottom of things.

And that's when a slightly disturbing thought crossed her mind: she felt undeniably safe with Steve and James.

The sun was starting to rise behind the curtains of the room, casting a very soft glow over everyone. It was Friday; after the arc reactor fiasco yesterday, she was sure that Tony, Bruce and Jane would be down in the Tower's power room working on the problem pretty soon. Science doesn't work nine-to-five, Monday to Friday. Science is a twenty-four hour kind of job. And she hated it.

... she also really had to pee.

After a moment of deliberation, she figured the best way out of the bed would be to slide over Steve. Yes, he was the larger of the two, but he was almost laying on his back and James was spooned over her so much that getting out from under and then _over_ him--no. Not happening. 

Darcy started to push herself up onto Steve. Once she had a hand braced on his other side--the side of freedom!--James' arm started to slide from her like dead weight. Yes, victory was in sight. She was straddling Steve, cheering herself on for being halfway there. Finally her foot hit the floor and she pulled herself from the warmth of the bed. Steve frowned in his sleep; Darcy tried to fix it by pulling the covers over his bare chest and tucking him back in.

Her feet padded softly on the carpet as she ran to the opposite side of the room where Steve's bathroom was. There were no windows in the bathroom--she flicked the light on as soon as she entered, before the door was closed.

Darcy sat to do her business and closed her eyes and counted to ten. Then counted it again. And again.

It infuriated her that she could go from feeling so blissful one second and be back to her old ways so quickly. She couldn't even look around the bathroom. It didn't matter that there was a high-volt bulb in there, illuminating everything--she just wanted to get out of that room as fast as she could.

She washed up.

Someone moaned.

Darcy paused, her hands still. That wasn't a particularly happy moan, not one that hinted at early-morning sex or similar. That was... something bad.

It was hard to hear the whispering through the door, but the moan came out again, and then Steve was talking. He was telling Bucky to wake up. He didn't sound too good.

Darcy tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack to stare out.

James was face down in the pillow, and the blankets were slipping from his shoulders as he rose up to his elbows. The muscles were tense and tight across his back; she could see his hand, the metallic one, gripping the pillow. The sound of fabric tearing filled the air as his fingers bit into it, feathers bleeding out.

Steve had his hand against the back of James' neck, holding firm as his sleeping friend groaned again. Steve's brows were drawn together with worry but the his tone was stern. "Buck. Wake up. You're in the Tower. You're safe. C'mon." He shook him, harshly. "Buck, look at me."

With a deep gasp, Darcy watched James' fingers release the pillow. A few tense moments passed, not knowing if it worked, if James was really all there. It didn't help that she couldn't see him.

"... steve?"

Relief swept over Steve's face and he let loose the breath he was holding. "Yeah, yeah--I'm here," he whispered.

James reached up and grabbed Steve's arm, taking a shaky breath as his fingers grasped desperately for skin. Steve hushed him once, pulling his body closer, and began to kiss him softly--slow, lazy kisses that they weren't in a rush to finish. James' hands trailed over Steve's chest; Steve made appreciative noises against the his mouth.

Darcy couldn't look away if she wanted to; the intimacy hung thick in the air and she knew she should turn away, especially when she wasn't sure she belonged in it... but for the first time, she was overcome with longing.

Darcy closed the bathroom door as quietly as she could, before resting her head against the cool wood. The bathroom was cold, and goose-bumps pricked her skin. What had she just witnessed? James was obviously in a nightmare, which, considering his mental history, was probably terrifying. Yes, the SHIELD doctors gave him the o.k. to function in society, but James has been through some harsh, harsh shit.

Did this happen... often?

Steve, though, seemed to know the right thing to say. _You're in the Tower. You're safe._ Did James think he was somewhere else? Back where... where everything was bad?

Darcy frowned at herself and shook her head, trying to clear up her foggy brain, before turning back to the mirror. Her hair was dishevelled--her natural curls didn't look the least bit sexy--but for once, she didn't have any dark circles under her eyes. That was a nice change. Darcy dragged her fingers down her face and pinched at her cheeks, urging them to blush a bit so she wouldn't look so pale. Then she took a seat on the edge of the bathtub and tried to think.

It dawned on her that yes, Steve and James were Avengers, but they were soldiers first. Soldiers who saw the chaos of war and were taken advantage of by those they were trying to protect. Many soldiers today still suffer from the effects of war and Steve and Bucky were far from exempt.

This wasn't any of her business. James' past was his past; if he wanted Darcy to know about it, he would tell her. She just had to remind herself not to go poking around, and try to refrain from watching them when they thought she wasn't looking, no matter how attractive they were.

James' sleepy voice filtered through the door--he mumbled, but she could hear what he was saying, "... where'd Darce go?"

Darcy wrinkled her nose. Damn it--they were going to see the light of the bathroom coming through the bottom of the door. Sure enough, a few moments later someone knocked gently against the wood. "Darce?"

"Yeah," she replied with a sigh.

The handle of the door turned and he let himself in, edging inside in case Darcy was indecent. Steve's blue eyes peaked around the corner until he saw her sitting at the tub. He was wide awake now, and his hair was sticking out in a bunch of places. Darcy put on a smile for him and sat up. "Morning," she said softly.

"Morning," Steve grinned. "How'd you sleep?"

"Very well, thanks," Darcy replied honestly.

His eyes looked her up and down, a quick sweep to make sure she was telling the truth, and as far as he could tell, she was. Steve leaned against the door jamb and tilted his head. "Is this going to become a habit?"

Darcy frowned. "A girl's allowed to pee in the morning, isn't she?"

Steve chuffed a laugh. "I meant me dragging you back to bed. Is it going to become a thing?"

The memory of him carrying her last night made Darcy smile. She ducked her head before shaking it. "Not today--I need to go upstairs and get changed before work."

Steve frowned. "It's five in the morning."

Holy crap, was it that early? Regardless, Darcy got to her feet and moved towards the door. Steve watched as she tried (and failed) to walk past him gracefully. "Science waits for no one. And don't be fooled--it takes a long time to get this," she gestured to her face and hair and her everything, "looking presentable for public consumption."

James laughed at her comment and Darcy smiled in return. Just as she raised her hand to wave goodbye, Steve pulled her back. He held her close with his arm around her waist, the other in her hair, as he kissed and licked at her lips. It was slow and wet and lazy, waking her nerves up one by one until Darcy's skin felt tight. She clutched at Steve's shoulders before settling on his neck, and moaned into his mouth.

When he finally pulled back, he nudged his nose with hers until she opened her eyes. "You look beautiful in the morning."

Darcy couldn't help dipping her head and biting her lips, avoiding the attention.

"He's a sweet-talker, ain't he?" 

Darcy raised her head to see James looking utterly pleased with them both. His eyes were a tad dark, but she wasn't sure if it was from arousal or the lingering fog of his nightmare. He raised his hand, his metallic one, and gestured to them. "Come back, both of you."

Darcy started to giggle, unable to contain it, even though she had no idea where it was coming from. "I have to get ready for work--"

"Then we'll have another quickie like yesterday," and just the mention of it sent heat rushing to Darcy's cheeks (and Steve's ears, too), and for a moment, James lost his smile. "If you think I'm going to let you walk out of here after watching that gorgeous scene play out, you're dumber than I pegged you for."

She knew she should go get ready, but she also knew that she really wanted to crawl back into that bed. Darcy sighed as dramatically as she could and raised her arms, making a grabbing motion at Steve. "I guess I can hang around for a bit."

Steve bent and picked Darcy up into his arms. "Guess this _is_ becoming a thing," he mumbled and Darcy had to laugh again before she pulled his head down for another kiss, and another, before Steve put her in James' lap.  
  
The soldier pulled Darcy's knees to either side of his hip as he sat up in the bed, making sure she was thoroughly straddling him. That's when Darcy became aware of how aroused he really was. "Jesus, Buck," Darcy half gasped, half laughed as he pressed up into her. Only his boxers and her pyjamas were in their way.  
  
James just grinned and wrapped his metal arm around her waist to pull her to him as he rolled his hips up into her hard. Darcy gasped at the sensation, hot, searing heat sliding up her spine. "I told you--this is your fault."  
  
Darcy almost rolled her eyes at him, almost. Instead she pushed his hair back, running her fingers through the mess to comb it. She was careful with her touch and it was that touch that gave him pause. The spark disappeared momentarily, replaced with something heavier in the air.  
  
James was staring up into her eyes with reverence. She hadn't seen it before but the darkness was still there. Whatever nightmare he had just experienced, he hadn't woken up from it. Not yet. And what worried her the most was the reflection of how she stared at herself moments ago. Self hate--disgust--only much larger scale. And he knew she saw that in him, right here and now, and had no idea how she'd react.  
  
Her gut instinct was to make that go away. Even just for a little while. The boys had their demons, and she was no slayer, but she could--and most importantly, was willing--to offer them comfort from them.  
  
Darcy's thumbs brushed over James' cheekbones, tracing them momentarily before she cupped his face to kiss him. The touch of their lips let his shoulders relax, and hold her closer before he rutted up against her once more.

  
"Tell me something," she managed to gasp out once James released her lips from his.  
  
His hands slid down her back, fingers dipping into the elastic of her pyjama bottoms to cup her ass, squeezing both cheeks the same time he pushed her into him. "Whatever you want, babydoll," he whispered dirtily.  
  
She would've rolled her eyes if that didn't feel so damn good. "What was the plan?"  
  
Steve, who had sat right beside James' side after Darcy had gotten started, was running his fingers up and down her thigh as he watched them. The sensation was giving her shivers. "What plan?" he asked her.  
  
Darcy reached out to him and Steve came to her, leaning forward to capture her mouth. It was a dirtier kiss than the one from earlier; she didn't know the Captain was capable. "You said.. in the pantry yesterday, you said you had a plan. What was it?"  
  
Steve looked more than a bit surprised that she was asking, but he was only happy to oblige. His mouth trailed over her cheeks, leaving kisses before he breathed into her ear. "After much deliberation and arguing," he told her, "we were going to ask you out first."  
  
"You two think I'm that easy? Going to jump in bed after a--okay, okay, don't look at me like that. I retract the statement," she tried to ignore James' incredulous gaze because hey, she totally jumped them right back when they were in the pantry.  
  
Steve understood her a bit more though; he chuckled before pressing a kiss to her ear. Then his lips trailed down over her neck, sucking at her skin before whispering almost absentmindedly. "We were gonna take you to a movie, maybe dinner--to get a read on you. See if you were ... open minded and adventurous."  
  
James started laughing breathlessly, as if reminded of their discussions. Maybe they _had_ deliberated about her. Vigorously.

Darcy tried to joke. "I'm a tad offended that you ever thought otherwise." 

Steve silenced her when his mouth reached her collar and started to nip there, especially when he reached between Darcy and James' shifting bodies and slid his fingers down the front of her pajamas. The noise Darcy made when he pressed hard against her clit, now a hot bundle of nerves, echoed and bounced off the walls. Okay, note for later: no joking around Steve when you're getting busy. 

"Maybe while we were getting drinks, later, after the movie," Steve whispered to her as he pushed against her in tight, fast circles, "we'd reach under the table and start to touch."  
  
Darcy's thighs started to twitch as pleasure shot through her. She bit her lips together and had to close her eyes but that only allowed Steve to paint a better picture.

James didn't let her go as he continued to press up against her core. The heat that travelled up her spine was crawling back down and pooling between her legs, getting more and more sensitive with each brush of his erection pressing between her legs.

"Buck's left hand, well, it's a little chilly, but you'd like it when he's sliding it up your thigh. And maybe he'd finger you, like I'm doing now, while everyone else was around--"

"Jesus, fuck, punk," James started sputtering. Who knew the Captain had such a dirty mouth?

He didn't dare let up though, talking Darcy and James through it until the pair were both speechless. Everything felt too tight--her clothes, her skin--and Darcy was sure she would burst soon. What did her in was when she opened her eyes and found them both staring up at her, with their flushed faces and swollen lips. Darcy shut her eyes hard as she came.

No one has ever looked at her that way before.

James's hips stuttered his own orgasm a few second later, set off by Darcy's cry of pleasure. When she came down from her high, Darcy looked down between their bodies. "Now you definitely have to wash those," she mumbled.

James had the energy to give her a shit-eating grin. "I never thought you'd notice."

Darcy rolled her eyes before rolling off his hips, reaching for Steve, her hands sliding up his thigh... except his hand grasped hers. She stopped moving and glanced up at him. Steve brushed her hair back from her head. "I'm good," he told her.

James gave him a funny look and Darcy was just confused. "Not really fair to you," she pointed out, and she really didn't think she'd have to.

But Steve just tucked her hair behind her ear. "If I'm getting a turn, it's going to be done right." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead while she was shell-shocked and James was laughing at her face. "And you've got to go to work. C'mon."

As everyone was climbing out of bed, Darcy started to pull at her clothes in an attempt to make them look presentable. It wasn't a huge deal, since she really just had to run down the hall and up the stairs to get to her room, but there was a wet spot between her legs that she wouldn't be caught dead with. She just looked up in time to see Steve at his closet, tossing her a pair of sweatpants. Darcy offered him a thankful smile as hopped into the bathroom and pulled them off.

They were both up and waiting for her at the door when she came out. Darcy brushed James' wild hair back from his forehead, trying to clean him up, and realized this was becoming a habit. He still smiled at the touch and she kissed him goodbye. "Thanks, jerk," she told him.

James let his hand drift down to squeeze her ass quickly. "Anytime, doll."

Darcy was still grinning when she reached up to kiss Steve, a harder feat considering his hieght, but the grin disappeared when he pulled her close and she felt him through the sweats. He was hard and hot and it made her moan. When Steve pulled back, Darcy stared up at him. "You sure I can't help you with that?"

Steve grinned. "You will. One day. Not now."

James let her out with a 'bye, toots' and Darcy hustled down the hall, cursing the long legs of Steve's sweatpants, and tried not to work herself up from the heat in his voice. She may have gone looking for answers last night, and she didn't get what she was looking for, but the promise of what was to come was enough for now.

Unfortunately, as she was running across the kitchen and up the stairs, holding the legs of the sweatpants up, she missed Natasha coming out of the pantry, eying the assistant. Darcy almost tripped over the last stair, and cursed, before disappearing onto the next level. Natasha put two and two together--those sweatpants were familiar from training exercises with her teammates--but just shook her head and grinned.


End file.
